R.W. Sears began selling watches to supplement his income
as a railroad station agent. He was so successful the he was
able to quit his railroad job within less than a year and began
selling mail order watches full time. In 1893 Sears took on a
partner and established the corporate name, Sears, Roebuck
& company.
The first Sears catalog was only thirty-two pages and
grew to over a thousand by 1908.